Serendipitous Stumbles
by Meepyonnee
Summary: AU. Foretold roads had been paved as unwanted ruts came into existence. These two individuals had already set their minds to mandated goals, but what would happen if serendipity imposed?
1. Chapter 1

June 17, Tuesday

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The rainy season had come upon the city of Tokyo, and because of this, one high school student was very pissed.

Mai Taniyama had been determined to walk to school everyday so that she could save a tiny amount of money in return for trudging to school for half an hour, twice a day, five or six days a week. It had been hard since her mother had passed away just three years after her father, and although her parents left her a small fortune, that was it. It was just a small fortune. She was afraid that if she didn't spend it sparingly, her small fortune would not last her until her eighteenth birthday. It was important that it should last her until then because no one wanted to hire her, an underaged orphan.

Something good came out of this situation anyway; she was given the chance - forced, really - to focus on her studies. All her efforts were at this point of her life, and it paid off. She was the at the top of her class. Second, to be precise. On the next quarterly exam, she was going to snatch that top place. She was going to snatch that full scholarship to the country's number one university.

Mai glanced out the bus window, and there it was, the most prestigious university in all of Japan. She stared longingly, taking in the sight as long as she could. Her determination grew tenfold, urging her to scribble notes more furiously even as she was getting dizzy inside the moving vehicle.

With geometric theories and postulates swirling about in her head, she did not notice the bus stopping once out of the three stops she was required to live through. Another person sat beside her as she was on autopilot-mode so it was natural that she would ignore her neighbor, but the neighbor refused to be ignored.

"That one, right there," a voice said, accompanied by a finger pointing to the third line on her notebook. "That should be _SAA_ instead of _ASA_."

Mai swept her gaze to where the finger pointed and held herself back from repeatedly bashing her head into the seat in front of her. Frustration heated her cheeks with a fierce blush as she said, "Ah, thanks."

"No problem."

Embarassment kept her head down for the rest of the trip as she beat herself up for her glaring mistake. The bus stopped for the third time and the operator called twice. It wasn't until then that she saw the face of the person sitting beside her.

It was a pale face framed with dark cropped hair, composed of shadowed blue eyes, a pointed nose, and chapped lips. Mai was surprised that he seemed to be about her age because when he spoke to her, his tone carried the restless exhaustion of a man who had lived his entire life in utter regret.

"Excuse me," she murmured, pointing a look at his gangly legs. He shifted without a word, not looking away from the map he was reading. As such, she squirmed between him and a seat's backrest, trying not to jostle anything.

Passively holding a frayed umbrella above her to ward off the sky's tears, Mai walked away and started towards her destination, not thinking of equations and historical dates.

_I wish rain would visit again tomorrow._

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A/N: I'm gonna keep the chapters short and sweet :) Comments and suggestions are welcome! A hundred thanks for reading :D


	2. Chapter 2

June 20, Friday

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It rained again, but only after three long days had passed. During those days, Mai had been relentlesly studying and studying and studying all day and all night for the periodical exams that started on the next Monday. The teachers thought that it was funny to start Hell Week with Chemistry. No laughs had been extracted from the students. Tears, perhaps.

For a student like her, who was in one of the top academic high schools, this shouldn't be hard. Sure, forget that she was still a freshman. Ooh, she's in the honor roll anyway, Mai can do it like the students who were her seniors for one whole year.

_Advanced placement my ass,_ she thought, snorting as she walked silently to the bus stop.

Both of Mai's best friends were among the select few who decided that not giving a damn would be the wisest choice. They were going to have fun at the mall later instead of studying like her. Yes, it was Friday. Yes, she would still have two more days to study. She refused their invite anyway. Nothing shall stand in the way of her pursuit for the scholarship she coveted.

_Wouldn't it be fun though?_ Mai asked herself, sighing as she lifted her gaze to the tattered fabric of her aged umbrella. She kept her hooded gaze on a small hole, thinking of nothing and everything all at once. Fallen beads of rain answered her in return.

Mai was jolted out of her daze when a green bus sporting the number 42 came out from a corner. She closed her umbrella and shook out the droplets as she ran towards the entrance. With her heart pounding against her will, she offered her payment to the bus operator as she debated whether or not to sit in the same seat.

She did, but as the comforting heat of the vehicle warmed her chilled nose, she mentally slapped herself for being silly. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous. The girl grumbled non-excuses to herself as she brought out her Chemistry book, and before long, she was lost to the world, balancing stubborn chemical equations as she tried to ignore the nausea that was slowly creeping to her stomach. A painful bite to the lip was how she warded off the dizziness.

"Keep that up and you will soon find yourself nursing a bloody lip."

Mai jumped, startled by the tackle against her concentration. She released the clamp on her gnarled lower lip and felt sudden rush of a stinging sensation. She brought a hand up to massage away the irritating pain and was rewarded with irritating numbness. Once more, an aggravated blush snaked its way to her cheeks as she looked up to the boy sitting beside her.

His eyes were away, looking at the screen that kept track of the bus' route. He scrutinized it with utmost boredom as the thumb on his left hand simultaneously tapped against his leg with the moderate tempo of a muted song.

She felt the inexplicable heat rushing again, the back of her neck now a sudden victim. She compelled herself to look out the window because the small voice inside the rational part of her brain chastised her, reminding her that it was rude to stare. To distract herself, Mai mentally recited all the elements in the periodic table in proper order.

In the end, she couldn't help herself from sneaking another unnecessary peek. Her faltering surveillance travelled only until the papers on her neighbor's lap. He held the map she saw him with the first time they met, but now it was crumpled, chafed around the edges. There was even a large rip near the middle of it. Haphazardly applied tape was the only reason why both halves of the whole were still together.

Mai's troubled eyebrows slowly crawled towards their middle ground as she pursed her still-numb lips. She wondered why he would do that to the poor map.

_Was he frustrated because he couldn't memorize the geography of the country for his Social Studies exam? But he seems to be a smart guy... He even looks like a class president._

Her musings were put to a halt when the third stop in her journey found her as the operator called twice. Again, she excused herself when his long legs were in the way. Exactly one second after she stepped off the bus, a transparent question punched her in the smack middle of her face.

_Why wasn't he wearing his school uniform?_

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A/N: Thanks again! Always keep in mind that I think you're freaking awesome.


	3. Chapter 3

June 25, Wednesday

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_To approach, or not to approach?_

Mai asked herself this excellent Shakespearean question every two minutes since she left her flat. Two sides of her argued of the pros and cons between each choice, and she thought that both were right. And wrong. She would eventually be won over by one, and be pulled back by the other in no time.

_Priorities, Mai!_ she thought, knocking on her forehead over and over as she stared at the asphalt. _You have a Geometry exam today! No distractions!_

Bus number 42 turned around the corner and Mai rushed in without concious thought as she was still deliberating against herself. She gave her payment to the operator and felt the world turn around its axis slower as she crossed the length of the aisle and reluctantly pushed herself in the same seat. Despite this pressed reluctance, she had not even considered sitting in another.

_To approach, or not to approach?_

Mai thought of what good would come to her if she did talk to him. She contemplated it for a long while and ended up with nothing. No conclusion had been drawn. She just _wanted_ to.

However, if she did dare to talk to him, she would only get distracted the whole day. She might just stare blankly at her test paper as she drooled about the boy's husky voice. About the way his lips curved, how the intense blue of his eyes would lock with hers. How he would-

She snapped her eyes shut and counted backwards from ten. She breathed large, even breaths as she enumerated the angles and theories and postulates she had memorized a million times over.

_But,_ she thought, _if I ask him about the part I'm having trouble with..._

She looked out of the window and was promptly handed an answer by the gods. The outer buildings of her dream university stood tall and proud. Some students were laughing and were having a good time with their friends, while others sucked in coffee as they buried their noses in thick books. Mai's will finally decided to focus on the task at hand. She grabbed her book and scanned through her notes, nausea once again possessing her as the moving vehicle tried to hamper her.

Mai had not always been keen on her studies, but this changed when her mother wheezed out her final wish - that Mai would work hard and take care of herself while she wasn't there to do it for her. Mai went on with life reciting these words to herself after waking up and before going to sleep.

When her mother passed away, Mai had been taken in by her kind teacher. Mai had been very thankful, but she decided to live on her own after a year of patient consideration from her teacher, and infinite gratitude from herself. She could not stand the thought of someone else taking care of her when she already had the ability do that on her own. More so because her teacher had her own family to take care of. She and her husband had a baby only months old, and Mai had constantly been consumed with guilt whenever she came home to them.

Her teacher had not approved of this decision at first. A fifteen year old girl should have someone to look out for her, someone who was always there when she was in trouble. Her teacher said that Mai should not be burdened with such a responsibility while she was still so young.

Ultimately, Mai convinced her teacher that she would be fine. Her parents' apartment had been fully paid for, and she was left with an inheritance that would keep her alive, more or less.

Between depressing thoughts and depressing math, the bus stopped for the third time and the operator called twice. Mai hastily gathered her things and exited without stumbling into any barriers. She wrestled with her umbrella for shelter against the rain and ran to her school. The only time she noticed that something wasn't quite right was when she entered her classroom as the loud school bell pounded against her eardrums.

_To approach, or not to approach?_

All the mulling she did was for nothing. The boy had not even been present that morning.

Mai slapped herself. Physically, not mentally.

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A/N: If you noticed, I added the dates to keep track and to avoid confusion. I actually made a miscalculation with the schedule of Mai's exams (they should have been held during early July, not late June). Overlook that for me, please? Thanks for reading! And stop jumping to conclusions! Believe what Mai believes ;)

P.S. Katie, make an account so I can annoy you privately! Thanks for your review :)


	4. Chapter 4

June 27, Friday

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With a yank, two shoves, and another yank, Mai successfully opened the heavy main door of her mother and father's apartment unit. She supposed that she really should replace the rusty knob, but she shrugged, filing the thought away for another time.

The gloomy morning sky greeted her as she shambled down the length of the building's exterior fire escape, muffling a scream when she barely avoided a nasty slip from the unabrasive metal of the stair treads. She thought of how she really ought to tell the landlord about putting rubber on the steps to avoid accidents, but again, she shrugged and dismissed the idea. It was a moot thing to do, asking for safety precautions in this living space.

With her umbrella dutifully shielding her from the plum rain, Mai walked along the sidewalk, scooting away from the road for fear of having some dim-witted driver splashing her with dirty road water. She paused at a pharmacy to buy two capsules of anti-nausea medicine for her to effectually study in the unforgiving bus. It was the last day of Hell Week that day, the finale aptly being her worst subject: Home Economics.

For all her life, Mai had always been struggling to comprehend the slippery concept of _'C__ooking'._ She remembered her mother trying to teach her a few recipes, but everything ended up as burnt lumps of inedible coal. Even with just frying eggs, Mai had never been successful. All her friends were horrified with the end products of her attempts at cooking.

Imagine her struggle when she first started living on her own. She almost died! Okay, that was an exaggeration. She had regretfully tried to prepare food for herself to save money, and not long after, she acquired a hefty dose of explosive diarrhea after eating the curry she botched. She was nearly hospitalized then, giving her the fright of an extensive medical bill. She never attempted it ever again, but now she _had _to because of the school curriculum she must oblige.

A mighty blast of a wild draft passed through her whole body before she entered the welcomed heat of bus number 42. She shivered with the change of temperature as she gave her payment to the operator, calmly walking to her seat after that. Her medicine uncomfortably slinked down her throat as the imposing outer buildings of her (hopefully) future university passed by the window, reminding her to try her best as she memorized and re-memorized the recipe required for her practical exam.

_Follow the goddamned recipe. Follow the goddamned recipe. Follow the goddamned recipe._

Mai tricked herself into a meditative trance, chanting this mantra as she went over the text. She was a third of the way through the twenty-second time she read the recipe when a shadow suddenly appeared beside her, violently pulling her out of concentration.

A crescendo of butterflies - no, they were bats, eagles, _vultures_ - teleported into her stomach, the sudden weight rendering her thoughtless, speechless, breathless.

Truthfully, Mai had been so calm during this glum morning because she had thought nothing of the boy she last sat beside one week ago. She swiftly gathered that she would never see him again when he failed to show up last Wednesday. After Mai's initial embarrassment because of her humiliating thoughts about approaching the stranger, she hardened her resolve. She shall never be distracted by him again.

But now, instead of focusing as she had first intended, Mai finds herself quite nervous. Quite.

_To approach, or not to approach?_

"Why do you have a recipe book?" the boy asked listlessly, his eyebrows assymetrical above his eyes as those navy hued orbs lazily darted from Mai's book, and then to her own brown colored pair. When it was clear that she wouldn't - _couldn't_ - answer, he turned to the screen that tracked the bus' route, absently picking at the invisible lint on his black sleeve.

"Ah, um, well," Mai stammered after a long moment of deafening silence, her stomach growing heavier by the second. "I have my periodical exams this week and I had Chemistry last Monday and Social Studies last Tuesday and Geometry last Wednesday and English yesterday and now I have Home Economics but I'm not sure if I'll pass 'cause I really really don't know how to bake so now I -"

Mai caught herself mid-rant and imploded right then and there. Her eyes widened as her cheeks instantly reddened with mortification.

'Saved by the bell', as the saying goes, and this time, Mai's bell was the operator's hoarse voice. The vehicle stopped for the third time and the operator called twice at the very moment Mai made a fool of herself. She sat up so fast that her head spun and she stiffly excused herself when the boy's legs were in the way once again.

In her haste to flee, Mai missed the amused twist adorned on one corner of the boy's lips.

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A/N: I read somewhere that the new Ghost Hunt live-action movie will be released Summer 2014, but does anyone know when exactly? And are there people ready to translate?! Tell me tell me tell me.


	5. Chapter 5

July 1, Tuesday

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The weather was doing its best to dampen Mai's high spirits.

Tokyo's morning sky was still depressing and miserable and sullen with fat clouds hanging low, seemingly taunting Mai with the prospect of drenching her with it's ever-flowing pee. All this did not particularly bother the girl anymore, for she has been desensitized. Still, what she was really _pissed_ about was the fact that -

"Dammit, why the hell is it so humid?!"

For the first time in forever, Mai was free of any neck-wringing school work. Her exams had gone and passed recently, so teachers were giving the students a short period of lax. Predictably, Mai was thrilled. She had no assignments to worry about, no quizzes to study for. She was supposed to write some lecture notes in advance, but she thought, _To hell with that. Freedom!_

Oh, but no. No freedom for Mai. The weather just had to pick that day of all days to start getting humid. Yes, Mai hated rain, but she abhored being sweaty even more. Being sticky and smelly never appealed to her. Just thinking about it made her shiver with disgust.

Hapless little Mai did not have the luxury of simply 'thinking about it' though. She was living it.

Mai was at the bus stop, pondering whether swishing around for any form of breeze was better than standing still so that her sweat would stop gushing from her pores. She kept her umbrella upright with one hand as she rummaged around her school bag for a piece of paper tough enough to provide her with a break from the muggy air. She found one after a while, but bus number 42 screeched in front of her just as she was about to lift it to her face.

Splashed with sweat and rainwater, she ran to the airconditioned bus. _Thank you so so so much, Willis Carrier,_ Mai thought, silently thanking the great inventor as she gave her payment to the operator. She shuffled to her seat with her arms held high, trying to catch the cool air from the overhead magical humidity-go-the-hell-away machines.

The teenager sighed as she sagged down her seat, relishing the comfort of no-stick atmosphere. After a long moment of utter bliss, she pushed herself up to fiddle with the air conditioner above the window beside her.

A young man in dark clothes found Mai like that. He sat down beside her without her noticing, arranging his papers with one hand as he clutched a manila envelope with another. As soon as he assumed an acceptably comfortable position, he then observed the screen that tracked the bus' route, as he always did.

"Ah, much better," Mai said after she finished fixing the air conditioner's direction to make the whistling air go to her face. She lowered her hand to the seat's handle, but immediately pulled it back to herself as if she was scalded with the broth of the ramen she always ate.

_Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh._

Mai's hand had accidentally landed on the young man's for a slight instance, and now, she was freaking out. Inside, mostly. Her whole face already looked like it was dumped in a vat of toxic Kool Aid.

Her mouth opened for an apology, but it never came out. She stayed like that instead, looking like the fool she believed she was. Her heart pounded against her chest so hard that she thought her ribs would get bruised.

With her hand clutched to her chest, she looked away from him to catch her scattered thoughts. She glanced at the window, to her dripping umbrella, to the old couple seated at the seats before her, and then to the hand that nearly melted hers. It was tightly holding a distorted brown envelope, unopened and ignored; just as he was ignoring Mai and everyone else.

False courage within her now, Mai counted backwards from ten and sucked in a large breath.

"I - I'm so -"

The operator cut her off, calling twice as the bus stopped for the third time. Her lips closed shut, her teeth clanking together as she did so. Her broken apology turned into a messy jumble of words, but her neighbor undertood what she meant anyway. He shifted to give way for her, and Mai was off into the unforgiving humidity of the plum rain.

Mai fanned herself with her piece of paper to get rid of the heat, half of which was the weather, and half of which was her stupidity.

Like the masochist she was, she replayed the moment in her head like it was a never ending loop of a short film. After the heaviest of embarrassment had passed, she remembered what she saw on the envelope the young man was holding. To her sheer curiosity, the package seemed to have come from abroad. The letters were of the English alphabet, after all.

It said: _'Lue - '_

Mai didn't know what came next. The owner's pale hand had been in the way.

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A/N: I couldn't help but sneak a line from 'Frozen' in there. I watched it again yesterday. Hehe. Thanks for reading! :D


	6. Chapter 6

July 3, Thursday

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According to studies some scientists whose names Mai forgot, color affects people's moods greatly, only second to the weather.

So why was it that the dull off-white interior walls of the bus made her so giddy? Mai was practically bouncing in her seat despite the depressing color of her surroundings, humming as the scenery went by the window beside her. If she talked to inanimate objects, then people would think she was insane. Surely.

"Oh no, you poor umbrella! You're all wet!"

There you go. Mai shook her umbrella, murmuring assurances as she did. An upperclassman from the same high school as her's looked at her as if she lost it.

The girl noticed nothing of that and continued humming cheerily. She was thinking of how on this day, she wasn't fifteen anymore, and how some stores would allow her to work part-time already. She's still underaged, but sixteen is a better number than fifteen. She could finally earn her own money.

Mai remembered how she celebrated her birthdays before. She was exceptionally selfish when her father was still alive. During any kind of holiday, be it Christmas or New Year or even Showa Day, she would demand a present of some sort from her dad. She was especially bratty when the day of her birth arrived.

When her father died a long time ago, the opposite happened. She would demand nothing from her mother during any holiday. She wouldn't even want anything on her birthday, but her mother would always get her a gift. Mai would humor her, although she felt guilty inside.

On the day Mai's world ended, the day her mother died, she didn't even care anymore. She wouldn't acknowledge her birthday. She would speak nothing of it and denied any kind of gift from her friends, unknowingly hurting them in the process.

Today's an exception, Mai told herself. She was sixteen today and she would allow herself to celebrate being alive until now. To be happy on this day was a pleasure she could allow because it meant that she kept herself breathing despite having no one to rely on.

With that in her mind, she began to imagine what present she would give herself. A toaster? A towel to replace her old one? Maybe a new umbrella?

No, she thought. Those were needs, not wants. If she's going to celebrate, she might as well go for something stupid and nonsensical. Like expensive sushi for dinner, or a trip to the spa.

_How about the stranger's name?_

Mai glanced at the empty seat beside her and flushed almost immediately. The young man wasn't here yet since the bus was only halfway through her stop and the next one. Though, just thinking about him made her shy and excited and mortified all at the same time. The combination of the three was a strange feeling for her.

She glanced at the clouds outside the window and reddened even more. It wasn't even raining that hard, and yet she wasted money on a bus ticket. She wondered if this was stupid and nonsensical enough.

The gods were testing her, she thought. Maybe they knew that this idea was _too_ stupid and nonsensical. Mai looked at the screen that tracked the bus' route and felt herself get shy and excited and mortified more intensely. Bus number 42 was approaching the first stop and it was taking its sweet time doing so. Or maybe it was just Mai thinking that everything was in slow motion.

Either way, the bus stopped as Mai's heart almost did. Her stomach got heavy once again and her brain decided to join the let's-stop-functioning party. The door opened with a whoosh as her eyes flickered to and fro from there to any other thing. Her timid side became uncharacteristicly dominant and decided for her that keeping her eyes at the ceiling was 'looking natural'.

One, two, three minutes passed and Mai's neck started protesting because of the strain. She gave in, turning once and twice to let go of the cracks in her bones. She proceeded to stare at the window, not the buildings outside it.

A few minutes more and the bus stopped as the operator called twice. With her shoulders hunched low, Mai got off the bus without any legs blocking her way.

_Happy birthday to you, stupid and nonsensical girl._

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A/N: The new term in my school starts on Monday, so I might not be able to update as quickly by then. I _might,_ but I'm not sure yet. Just a heads up. Thank you for your continued support! :D

Edit: Fixed 'em. Thanks for pointing those out, archangelBBQ!


	7. Chapter 7

July 4, Friday

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There was a theory about how multiple universes formed continuously and endlessly as time passed. Their formation might be through the collapse of giant stars - the birth of black holes. While the idea was so farfetched, one particular high school student desperately believed in it.

_Maybe I'm not as stupid in another universe._

"Oh, I really can't believe that guy got first place again! You should have seen his smug face! I'm the one who's supposed to be smug this time!"

Desperately, desperately. She would cling to that theory for as long as it was convincingly proved otherwise.

"That teacher is just so unfair! Can you believe that she gave me a ninety-five instead of a hundred? I perfectly followed the recipe that she assigned to me! It was even the first time that nothing exploded as I cooked!"

Mai thought that maybe if she killed herself now, she might live a shame-free life in another universe.

"I was _this_ close to taking that top spot! Just one – _one_ - point!"

Yes, she thought. Maybe she would kill herself.

"I wouldn't get that scholarship anymore. No, scratch that. I wouldn't even get accepted into the university!"

Certainly, she would curl into a ball of nothingness later, muttering profanities at herself as she pulled all her hair out five strands at a time. Maybe she would die that way.

"Then I won't have a job, and then I'll live off of the leftover food I scavenge from trash cans, and then I'm gonna have to marry a monkey - "

"Why do you have to marry a monkey?"

It's decided then. She's going to kill herself.

"I wouldn't have any other choice, would I?"

"What if the monkey didn't want to?" Mai's bus buddy said, reading his crumpled map as he did.

"Then I'm gonna marry a dog instead."

"Same thing. What if the dog didn't wa -"

"Fine. I'll die alone."

The young man shrugged and said nothing in return.

A very, very pregnant pause filled the air as Mai fumed in her seat. She wasn't mad at the person beside her, she was mad at everyone else. The test results were announced the day before, and it took about three or four of her classmates to restrain her from assaulting the student who, once again, got first place.

Mai did not have a violent nature, but the look in that student's eyes really drove her over the edge.

"What do I do with myself now?" she asked herself. She covered her eyes with a palm to conceal the angry tears that threatened to fall.

"That's a stupid question," her neighbor said, his tone condescending. "And you're exaggerating."

"But it's true!" Mai indignantly exclaimed, lifting her arms in frustration. "I wouldn't be able to enter that university with my low grades!"

"You're an idiot to think that," he said, rolling his heavily bagged eyes. "Didn't you say that you're second in class?"

Mai opened her mouth to spring out another enraged cry, but she was interrupted when the bus stopped for the third time while the operator called twice. She stood up and huffed in exasperation when the young man's legs were still in the way. She brashly excused herself and stomped all the way out the door.

Bus number 42 skidded away the moment the girl stepped off, and she stood there for a long while. Her locked muscled refused to budge as she stared incredulously into space.

_If I kill myself now, I hope I'll be mute in next universe I go to._

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A/N: Voilà. Tell me what you think! Thanks always for reading! :)


	8. Chapter 8

July 8, Tuesday

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Mai was having fun. She was still second in class, but she was having fun anyway.

_Who knew that not caring is such an enjoyable thing to do?_ she thought, turning a page of her second-hand—maybe third-hand—comic book. Keiko gave it to her when they were still in middle school. It was given to her as an attempt to cheer her up a little since her mother had just died.

Mai's mother and father were both the only children in their families, and all her grandparents already passed away long before. She had no living relatives then, so her friends were her only source of comfort. Despite this, she pushed them away.

Mai remembered how cold she was to them before, and she regretted that now. The moment her mother died was the moment she hardened her resolve to study hard to secure her own future. This decision almost made her lose her friends.

This lapse in judgment happened around the time of preparation for high school entrance exams. During this time, Mai's only focus was to be able to enter one of the top high schools in the country. She had locked herself in her apartment for days to no end so that she could study alone, living only on microwavable junk and tap water.

Her friends, Keiko and Michiru, visited her everyday to make sure that she was still alive. They would leave some food that would be good for her, they would coerce her out, and they would tell her that they were still there for her. At first, Mai had stayed quiet throughout each ordeal. Later though, when she was at her wit's end with a passage she could not memorize, or when she could not solve an equation, she would shout at them, yelling at them to go away and leave her alone. They did, after several days of Mai screaming at them to leave her be. She did not let this bother her, and she kept on studying without a hitch.

When the exam results were posted, Mai was completely elated. She was able to enter the school of her first choice. She wanted to tell the whole world. More importantly, she wanted to tell her two best friends, but she did not know how. She went to their houses, but she was always turned away. She spent a large amount of money on phone calls from a public telephone, but her friends' mothers would constantly say that they did not want to talk to her. There was even a time when she saw them at a convenience store, though they went on, pretending that they did not know her.

Mai was heart-broken. In this world, there were only two people left who loved her. She knew this, but she chose not to see them. This act made her feel shame every time she remembered it.

With a heavy chest, she had entered high school with no hope of being with her friends again. Understanding that she would not have the same pleasure, she trudged by the class listings where her new schoolmates gushed with whimsical excitement and forlorn expectation as they sought out their friends' names.

When the students were then ushered into their respective classes after the lengthy opening ceremony, there was a surprise in store for her. Right outside her classroom door were Keiko and Michiru. They fiercely embraced the moment they locked eyes, jumping together in between buoyant giggles. They said that they had studied hard too so that they could also enter the school Mai was aiming for. She tried not to cry too hard.

Mai promised herself that she would not push them away again. Studying to secure her future was important and all, but she knew now that love was even more so.

She smiled with this thought in mind instead of at the funny drawing in her comic book.

"You like that kind of story?" a patronizing tone asked. Mai could almost hear the dramatic rise of the owner's eyebrow.

In the manner of a flashback from a person threatened with death, her wild rant from last Friday recurred vividly in her mind—complete with every single detail. In return, her blood pumped louder in her veins as her stomach mysteriously gained a ton or two. The lip-clamping girl slowly turned her head to the young man beside her and tried to utter out an articulate response.

"A-ah, yes, well," Mai spluttered, her eyes darting rapidly from east to west in evident trepidation. Fumbling with her fingers with her head slightly bowed, Mai blurted, "I'msosorryforallthethingsIsaidlastFriday."

Amused at the girl's antics, the boy fully clad in dark clothes secretly snickered. He already predicted that she would be this way the next time they saw each other. With the high school student's sudden outburst during the last time they saw each other, he discovered that foretelling her reactions was a pastime he could allow himself.

He glanced at her with false annoyance and said nothing in reply to her careened apology, resisting the urge to smirk when he saw the crimson shade of her entire face. He pushed another wave of condescension onto her before turning back to his map. The second he did, real annoyance crammed his mind. He wanted to rip it to pieces again.

To distract himself from the recurrence of disgruntling thoughts, he decided to talk to the comical girl beside him.

"What are you reading?" he asked languidly, hiding his genuine curiosity under the guise of boredom.

Mai flushed even more at his question. She had no idea why though. She thought that maybe it was because of the guilt of not studying for the quiz she had later that day.

"It's a, um, comedy," she said unhurriedly, desperately trying not to rush her words again.

"Oh, is that so? The book cover misled me then."

They both turned their eyes on Mai's comic book. The cover had a funky clown on it.

The cloud of awkwardness hovered over Mai once again. She was about to perform another rendition of her previous chagrin, but the young man interrupted her with another question.

"Why aren't you studying?" he apathetically inquired, doodling on his map with a red marker. "You're always studying whenever I see you."

_Whoa, you're asking me that? Seriously? Look at you right now, skipping class._

"I've already graduated."

"W-what?" Mai asked, laughing as she tried to downplay her discomposure. "Oh, d-did I say that out loud?" She forced out another laugh.

Seeming to empathize with her, bus number 42 saved her from disgrace once again by stopping for the third time as the operator called twice. Mai gathered her book as she grabbed her bag and excused herself so that she could pass by the young man's legs.

She turned to him and stiffly lifted her hand. She dropped it in an instant as she mumbled a quick, "Bye."

Nearly running, she crossed the long aisle and jumped off the vehicle. She then sprinted to her school, but she stopped halfway when a fleeting moment of logic asked her something.

_Wait, so does that mean he's at least three years older than me?_

This incredulous thought stayed with Mai for a long time.

-:-:-:-:-

A/N: I made this chapter a tad longer than usual as an apology for the wait ;) College sucks. Anyhoo, writing the thoughts of Mai's bus buddy was surprisingly fun, even though it was only a couple of paragraphs, ha. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

July 9, Wednesday

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_Hmm, special talents..._

What were her special talents, Mai wondered. Perfectly knowing how much water there should be when cooking instant ramen? Completely forgetting to lock the door despite living alone? Losing track of time, like, always? Consistently remembering how to breathe for sixteen years?

Mai thought that maybe one of her special talents could be her source of income in the future. Most of those who didn't continue with education relied on their talents, right? Perhaps someone would hire her as a personal instant ramen chef. If that didn't work, she could try for show business.

Nah, she thought. That would unquestionably turn out to be an epic fail. She didn't know how to sing, she couldn't dance even if her life depended on it, and she definitely could not act. Just thinking about her play during her elementary days made her cringe and shudder.

Mai leaned her forehead on the window beside her and sighed. She wasn't kidding when she said that she might not be accepted into her dream university. Only paragons were accepted there. Was being second in class an example of a paragon? No.

She sighed again. Bus number 42 passed by the proud outer buildings of the university and Mai stared longingly. Okay, she admitted. Maybe she could get accepted, but the chances for scholarship would be from slim to below zero. If she wouldn't be able to get a scholarship, then she's doomed. Her meager fortune would never be enough to cover the tuition.

Athletes have scholarships, so maybe Mai could try out for the female basketball varsity..? Badminton? Baseball? Archery?

She closed her eyes in irritation when remembered that one of her special talents was being a klutz. For the life of her, she could not fathom how clumsy she was. She couldn't even live through a day without tripping at least once. On flat, smooth, obstacle-free surfaces. Now, imagine her walking on rocky grounds. With balls or rackets or bows and arrows. That would be suicide for Mai. She might even kill someone along with her death.

No to being an athlete then, Mai thought. How about the Chess varsity?

...She was bad at tactical planning too.

Her only real shot at a scholarship was just academics, if brutal truth were to be told. She wasn't bad at academics, really. She never received failing grades, nor did she receive bad scores at practical tests, but she constantly had a stubborn hurdle in front of her. It was a bigheaded, cocky, self-absorbed, insolent hurdle.

When Mai first entered high school, she really expected that she would be the class representative since she aimed to have the top score in the exams. People saw her as overly self-confident for this, but she totally worked her butt off for that entrance test. Having first place was a solid benchmark in her mind at that time.

Mai's eyes had automatically darted to the top of the list when the results were released. She was really really really sure that she would see her name there. Alas, her confidence was for naught. She was at second place. And she was still.

She huffed at the thought and unconsciously pulled her short hair. Just thinking about that time irritated her to no end. Also thinking about that cocky bastard's face irritated her to no end. Thinking about him in general made her gag and reel and puke.

The cocky bastard was there when Mai begged the teachers to recount the scores. She was adamant that there was a mistake, that she was truly the one who had the top score. It was the start of their ridiculous relationship.

They would mock each other all day, feed each other insults in every other exchange of words, and trade sickening smiles every time they met. Keiko and Michiru always teased Mai that she and the cocky bastard oozed of sexual tension whenever they saw them together.

_Ridiculous_, Mai thought as the vehicle stopped for the third time. _Absolutely ridiculous._

The operator called twice as she angrily got out of her seat. She exited the bus without any legs blocking her - not that she noticed. The universe greeted her with unbearable humid air mixed with occasional raindrops, a greeting that only intensified her frustration.

-:-:-:-:-

A/N: Oh my. Her head was filled with thoughts of another boy. *Gasp* She's cheating on the handsome stranger! Hahaha! Thanks for reading! :D


	10. Chapter 10

July 10, Thursday

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Adult. What does it mean to be an adult? Age was a factor, that's for sure. People who had lived eighteen years or above were usually classified as adults by most people, but Mai thought that that was a stupid generalization.

An adult was, as defined by most dictionaries, 'a person who is fully grown'. If a person was of legal age, did that mean that he or she was automatically 'fully grown'? To Mai, being 'fully grown' was being mature - physically, mentally and emotionally. To be all these things was to be responsible of himself and of his charges.

The orphaned girl thought that age did not define an individual, if it was responsibility speaking. She never believed that all 'adults' were mature, and she never ever believed that all underaged non-adults were irresponsible. Mai, for example, was a perfectly responsible non-adult.

So, why was it that not one employer wanted to hire her? She flitted here and there with her embellished applications, asking for a job from block to block as she endured to keep up the tired smile on her face. They would always turn her down after a quick glimpse at her birth year. It drove her insane.

It wasn't like she was applying for a high-ranked position, or any position at all. Her efforts were all directed at food service and small stores. She was going for a job as a cashier or a server. No way in hell was she going to be a cook. If she was rejected because of her cooking skills, or lack thereof, then she would have understood why she wasn't accepted, but no, she was rejected because of a number. This all happened during the afternoon of the previous day.

Anyhow, before all that, Mai had been terribly depressed. She had obviously wilted because of the anti-pep talk she gave herself before she went to school. She knew that doing good in academics was her best shot, and if that failed, she could work for the tuition instead, but her resolve got blown in the breeze. She couldn't even lift her pencil to take notes.

When noon came, life sprung back into her when a certain arrogant fellow "happened to pass by" her classroom. The two performed their daily routine; first with sickening smiles, second with the underhanded insults, and last with one fuming as the other walked away—the indignant one was most often Mai.

Nevertheless, she recovered her vigor. For all the insulting that guy did, Mai stood back up because of the degrading spats he directed at her. The stubborn girl never liked it when she was undermined. With that in mind, after she finished her semi-duties at the student council office, she ran to the nearest store she could reach with a trail of résumés behind her.

The back-to-back refusals were saddening, but Mai wasn't going to give up easily this time. Although, she was being a hypocrite right now because of the comic book she was still reading.

Mai was utterly relaxed in her seat in bus number 42 as she read her book. She sucked in the words and pictures, those that were entirely _not_ part of the test she was supposed to take later. Dizziness still flew around her head as she did, but she ignored it as always.

The bus drove by the first stop without any new passengers. Mai was disappointed. And relieved. And confused.

Disappointed because… she didn't know why. Relieved because… what? And confused because…

She just realized that the young man who periodically sat beside her only rode the bus every Tuesdays and Fridays. Mai scratched her head, puzzled at the discovery of a strange quirk. Did he get travel discounts on these days? Were his parents even allowing this?

Ah, that's right, Mai thought. He said that he had already graduated.

Mai scratched her head even more. Was he really three years older than her? She couldn't wrap her head around the notion. That guy absolutely looked like he was her age, if not just a few months older.

She could just ask him, really.

_No, that would be rude and embarrassing!_

Wrestling with herself for the two sides, Mai hopped off the vehicle when it stopped for the third time as the operator called twice. The summer heat pounded on her as she ambled to her destination distractedly, her inner voice jumping from yes and no and yes and no.

-:-:-:-:-

A/N: Curious about the other guy? Muhahahaha. I'm not giving anything away just yet ;) Thanks for reading!

Btw, I read everything again yesterday and just noticed that I've been sneaking in some curse words... Ahaha… Should I change the rating?


	11. Chapter 11

July 11, Friday

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The weather should stop acting muggy by now. It was not a human; therefore, it was not a muggle and it should not be muggy. Mai was ready for the hot, dry, pallid days to come, but woe be present despite her pleas. The clingy and oppressive humidity refused to break up with her.

She was ready to _Apparate_ in this very instant, to cast a spell to shoo away her icky sweat, and really, to just get away from it all. In her hand was a paper-backed copy of a famous book about a parallel world where wizards and the like were real, and all she wanted was for her to be sucked in magically. She could get away from all her problems in there. To be free. To fly on her own. (With a broom.)

In her bag was another book. Equally impossible and equally alluring despite the dangers it posed. It was about another parallel world where modern technology did not exist and being a ninja was the norm. How fun was that? Having the ability to kick ass was definitely better than this dull life. For example, she could beat the tar out of that insufferable boy with her super strength and super sharp weapons.

Mai thought of what that fellow would say about her recent fascination in fantasy fictions. Definitely, he would make _that_ displeasured sound, not even a smirk in place. His eyes would have that irritating slant as he'd tell her, "How childish, Taniyama-san. What would others think of you?"

Know what? Mai thought that worrying about other people's opinions before your own was much more immature. She didn't spit that out back at him though. The silent treatment was the best offense and defense combination when it comes to that bastard. Really, that guy thought about his image too much. To the point where there was one time when Mai saw him fixing his hair in front of his flimsy reflection cast by the janitor closet door's glass. She laughed so hard back then, but only after she documented the felony. It was a good thing that she had the student council's camera with her too. Perfect blackmail material on hand.

In fact, that very picture was her marker for the book with her. It wasn't the only copy, oh no. She kept a couple or seven somewhere in her apartment and even had the soft copy deep in the tresses of her email's inbox. She stared at it, the desire to draw on the hideous face unwilling to ebb away.

"Your boyfriend?"

Agitated confusion did not cut it for her this time. That was too much of an understatement. She was frazzled as usual, yes, and that's not all. She was disgusted and weirded out. Why would _this_ guy think that she was with _that_ guy? Gross.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed at the dark haired boy, gagging sounds barely at bay. She hastily tossed the photo into her bag along with her book just to prove a point. "That picture's with me for blackmail," she grumbled, her cheeks mustering a brilliant rosy sheen.

He hummed in a noncommittal manner, jotting away with his incomprehensible scrawl. The red lines he made were foreign to Mai, as if she was squinting at a doctor's handwriting. She leaned in without thought, as if a closer distance would make the scribbles clearer to her.

What was that? L...y... what? The red marks on her neighbor's—new, but equally mishandled—map seemed to be various letters from a western alphabet, though she couldn't be too sure. She was almost certain that the squiggly line over there was supposed to be an 'I', then the next should be... Were people allowed to write that letter in that way? Because Mai was absolutely positive that the letter 'W' wasn't supposed to look like that. Was he even using the same alphabet Mai thought he wa—

She _so_ did not do that on purpose.

"S-sorry!" she said as she scrambled back to her side of the row. Observation numero uno: Mai was crimson from head to toe.

Observation numero—

Nope. She couldn't observe any other thing at the moment.

_First with the hand and now this?! He must think that you're a rapist now, genius!_

Slowly and cautiously, Mai glanced to the left, keeping her head down as if she had committed a crime. Which was what she practically did anyway. Stumbling face-first into random people's laps constituted to sexual assault after all. Another formidable wave of heat struck through her.

Her eyes reached the piece of paper on his... lap, and if it was possible, the red on her cheeks grew even darker than the smeared line in the middle of his map. The ruined thing was ruined even more thanks to this clumsy girl. Her eyes wandered further—not in that way!—and stilled at a curious sight. On the pointer finger of her victim's right hand was a ring. It wasn't grand or anything, just a simple silver band.

Mai's world shattered even further. If that ring was what she thought it was, then that meant...

"U-um, are you sight-seeing?" she asked, distracting herself from developing loathsome conclusions. It was a stupid distraction though. Of course he was sight-seeing. Why else would he drag a map with him everywhere?

It was a while before he replied. A _long_ while. Mai was _dying_. "No," he said at last, continuing his scrawls. There was another pause before he continued. "But maybe I am."

Bus number 42 stopped for the third time and the operator called twice just as Mai was about to utter the word 'cryptic'. Thank the gods though. That would have been another chance to screw herself up more. She got up, scowling as she sighted the edge of her bookmarker, hesitantly smiling as she excused herself and said goodbye.

_I should have bought a straight jacket for my birthday instead of those books... There should have been duct tape for my mouth too._

-:-:-:-:-

A/N: I'm... not really sure about this chapter. I actually first wrote the chapter that was supposed to be _after_ this, and I was halfway through before I realized. Yeah... That doesn't explain the real reason why this is soooo delayed though. Thank you for reading! xx


	12. Chapter 12

July 18, Friday

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With a stiff neck and weary eyes, Mai resolutely stared at the gross fleck on the window beside her. It was probably a squished bug. Maybe it was decaying bird poop. It might even be snot from the person who sat there before her. She involuntarily pushed back from the glass and nudged the very thing that made her scrutinize the greenish splatter in the first place.

It was a mop of black locks.

She pulled herself back—gently and minutely—and compelled her eyes to stay on the speck once again. She didn't mind it that much anymore. A bigger problem was breathing down her neck.

Even though she deliberately avoided the bus last Tuesday regardless of the continuous drizzle, Mai was seated beside the young man once again because the rain was too heavy today. There were complications this time around however. Tokyo felt like being Tokyo this morning, giving them all the wondrous blessing of traffic, thus ensuring her that she wouldn't be able to escape soon A huge part of the citizens of this fine city was witnessing this grand phenomenon at this very second. To be precise, it was two thousand eight hundred thirty-four seconds of astounding traffic. See how this was a problem? Mai started counting since bus number 42 hit this brick wall. This in itself was very worrying. She hated counting.

One other _slight_ complication was that—_ohmyohmyohmyhowthehelldidthishappen—_the young man that sat beside her twice a week was sleeping. _And he was leaning on her shoulder._ This was the first time of this ever happening to Mai, and admittedly, she actually had to stop herself from touching his hair. She could not fathom why she had the urge. It was probably because he looked so damn peaceful and Mai was just so jealous and maybe if she touched him, perhaps she could have some of that tranquility.

The second complication didn't sound exactly as troublesome as the first, so here comes Mai's third complication of the morning. She now just realized that all the emotions she felt (i.e. embarrassment, humiliation, etc.) whenever she was near him equaled to irrational infatuation. Maybe more. But maybe not. She did not know how that happened.

_You don't even know his name, idiot._

Perhaps it was because of _oh my gosh he's so close to me what do I do what do I do_ was what propelled her to realize. In a fleeting moment, Mai thought of what her friends would say. They would probably call this occurrence a 'miracle' because they always said that she was pretty dense, mostly with the feelings of those around her, but especially of her own. Mai didn't understand what they meant about that though.

The dirt on the window was slowly losing its luster, so Mai had to find another diversion. She anxiously looked around without jostling the young man, but nothing in her line of vision was as fascinating as the bug/bird poop/booger. Instead, she decided to enumerate what she could remember about yesterday's science class lecture—the Biology one, not Chemistry. The five stages of Mitosis were Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase and… and somethingphase. She racked her brain for the last one, yet it refused to come up. It was even pure luck that she remembered something from the lecture because she mostly memorized by reading passages repetitively.

_I really should suck it up and study soon,_ Mai thought, remembering that she had an overdue lab report for Mitosis. Bear in mind that today was the last day before summer vacation; she really had been lazy.

Carefully maneuvering her gaze around the green splatter, she glanced outside and saw that the vehicles around their own resembled a pack of sardines. The automobiles, both private and public, were so close together that they only had a few inches of space between. This was Mai's scenery for the past fifty minutes.

Mai turned her eyes up and saw angry, low hanging clouds. With the oncoming change of climate, they stood proud and stubborn, refusing to give way for the sun. They gave Tokyo one last enraged torrent to remember. The plum rain would end today.

With her neck craned as high as it could without disturbing her slumbering companion, Mai swept her gaze to the road in front of the bus. She was still a long way from school, considering the traffic and the weather combined. In spite of the probable impediments she might face when she would come to school late, she felt peaceful—as if the young man graced her with the serenity that she coveted. Leaning her head back, she took deep breaths and closed her eyes. She was surprised how sleepy she felt, though this could have been caused by her sinful act of nonstop fiction reading the night before.

Half asleep and already dreaming about Mitosis, she mumbled a question she'd never speak if she had been fully awake. "What's your name?" she asked, her eyes fluttering as she hopelessly tried to swat away the sleep sand.

Mai's travel buddy stirred, but unlike her, did not sleep talk. He woke up a few minutes later and was aghast at how indecent he found himself to be. He was never one to sleep in public, but that paled in comparison to _leaning on a stranger._ Pulling himself back to distance himself, he tried to recall how this happened. He distinctly remembered that he left his place at exactly 7:27 A.M. as he always did, walked for eight minutes to the bus stop, and rode the bus when it arrived fourteen minutes later—eleven minutes more than usual. He then sat at the eighth row, beside the high school student who he found amusing, and… nothing. Sleep visited him most likely because his mother insisted on talking his ear off last night during their international phone call. It was only fair that he'd stay up this time, she said. He had always ignored her calls when he was awake and when she was supposed to be asleep.

He was propelled out of his thoughts when the girl beside him mumbled in her sleep. "Te..." she muttered, fidgeting as she looked for a comfortable position. "Telo…phase." Her head swayed to an uncomfortable pose as her arm moved onto her stomach. She would definitely wake up to a stiff neck in that position. The young man took pity and gently nudged her head so that it was leaning on his shoulder. He told himself that he only did this to make things even between them.

For the rest of Tokyo's traffic wrath combined with the rain's angst, they stayed that way until the bus stopped for the third time. The operator called twice and the young man shook Mai's shoulder six times. She woke up on the second and was insisting to have five more minutes on the fourth. On the sixth shake, she finally heeded to her alarm clock and groggily got out of her seat. Her eyes were still closed when her bag was shoved into her arms. She shambled to the front of the bus and slammed her shoulder into what she thought was her craggy apartment door.

"Ah!" she cried out as she flew out the already opened doors of the bus. It was an effective wake-up method.

Fortunately, steady arms caught her before the asphalt could give her a punch. She sighed in relief, tasting the words of gratitude on the tip of her tongue. She promptly bit them when she looked up at her savior. It was Reichi Nakahara, the pompous bastard who wouldn't let her take first place.

"What are you doing her, Nakahara?" Mai asked, frowning as she stepped away from him.

"Would it kill you to thank me like a normal person?" he retorted, his light-colored eyes dancing.

"Yes."

And so their daily routine started, albeit a little earlier than usual. As they walked to school, they mocked each other and traded insults. They exchanged the sweetest smiles they could muster when they parted ways in front of Mai's classroom. Not once did Mai notice that the umbrella Nakahara had used to shield themselves from the downpour was the umbrella she lost the day before.

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A/N: This is longer than I planned… And I'm kinda anxious about introducing an OC… Thanks so much for reading and for the support you've given me! Virtual hugs and kisses and cookies for everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

July 19, Saturday

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There was a quote Mai had come to love when she was a child. It was what her father whispered to her every night whenever thunder rolled down the heavens.

"_The rain came down upon my head - Unshelter'd. And the wind rendered me mad and deaf and blind."_

It came to her again as she stared deep into the dense sky. The clouds were meshed together in many layers, presenting the humans with a wondrous offering of infuriating downpour. It wasn't raining as hard as the day before, though it was raining hard enough to elicit booming _Martelé_'s and heavy _Irato_'s. She didn't even know how she could remember the whole passage, word for word even. It had been more than a decade since she last heard it.

Perhaps it was because of the melancholy of the whole situation she was confronted with now. With harsh rain came thunder and wind, all of which were grating on her nerves. Accompanied by no one but her waterproof satchel and her waterproof umbrella, Mai had travelled every nook and cranny of Tokyo, scouring every corner for a miracle—to no avail. Still, no one was merciful enough to gift her with the blessing of _work._

_It really isn't fair, _she thought. She had encountered more than a dozen youths working in some of the places she sought out. They were even around her age, some even younger than her. They looked as if they wanted to go home or go to somewhere people usually go to when it's summer. If only their employers knew that there was someone who's enthusiastic about working!

Yet, Mai couldn't blame them for not hiring her; she looked like a frazzled duckling. While rain that came down upon her head had dried, it refused to leave without leaving its presence. Her hair was ruined, her shirt was wrinkled, and her spirits were dampened. She hated the rain.

And, oh! There's more!

She was currently in one of her most loathed places in the world—_Shibuya._

There were so many people that she could feel herself slipping away into the underworld just by thinking about the mass of bodies that seemed to engulf her presence more and more in each passing second. Men, women, girls and boys alike swarmed around her figure wherever she was: at sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, stores, even in the bathroom! Her forgotten claustrophobia crept at her in minutely intervals.

_Maybe it's a good thing that I hadn't been hired here..._

Her irrational fear of confined places wasn't the only thing that made her abhor this district. The people themselves, and not just their body masses, made her uncomfortable. The carefree nature they flaunted, the unnatural cheer they exuded, the freedom they possessed… They irked her.

(But maybe that's only green envy talking.)

The duckling sighed, her shoulders sagging as she did. She never made a hobby of keeping dark thoughts around, so why should she start now? With regained fervor, she hunted the stalls once more, an exhausted smile tucked in place.

-:-:-:-:-

A/N: Um… hi? I would tell you about my excuses for just updating now, but you'd probably just want to kill me even more…:D And sorry about the length. This chapter is a bit short 'cause it's an introduction to a new arc. Thanks for reading!

x

_Martelé:_ a kind of bow stroke; literally "hammered"; to produce an intense note forcefully.

_Irato:_ to perform a specific passage in an agitated manner, as if irate, angry or passionate.


	14. Chapter 14

July 21, Monday

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Mai groaned, cradling furrowed brows in her right hand. She would do anything for a glass of iced _anything_ right about now. This day was the day summer finally woke up and said, _'Hey, this is a good enough time to get off my ass and work. I'll just go ahead and release agonizing heat waves every half-second.'_

The heat itself was excruciating, but oh, the throes of having people jam-packed around her even made it more so. Shibuya really really really is Mai's most hated place. She'd love to get away and go back to Bunkyo, but she still wasn't done here. It had been two days since summer break started and she had searched this district in that time, but she still hadn't been able to cover even half the area.

Then, to make matters worse, it's Marine Day today—a national holiday held to give importance to the ocean. Why then are all these people frolicking about at the innermost part of the city where there are no seas in sight? Mai had predicted that most people would go straight to the beaches and aquariums, but predictably, she was horribly wrong. Perhaps, like her, these people hated watching fish jump up and do boring tricks, but it's just too much of a coincidence that hundreds upon hundreds did so.

To curl up and lie motionless was her only wish now. Her feet ached from the endless trudging and she would gladly stop and drop down onto the cold cement if only there was some assurance that pointy heels and heavy boots wouldn't stomp across her face.

At last, _at long last_, she spotted a not-so-mobbed café where she can sit and rehydrate and _rest_. Still, there was a crowd at the fountain near the entrance, but the café itself was miraculously not overpopulated. Craning her neck to catch a glimpse inside the windows, she counted. There was only one, tw— Wait.

_One? Only a single occupied table?_ It was curious to say the least; the building, not to mention the district, where the coffee shop resided looked chic and sophisticated, so it was strange that there weren't any costumers. While not imposing, the structure's exterior composed of old designs. The outside wall was elaborately plastered with red bricks, as if reviving the Tudor brickwork from five centuries ago, and the overall façade was boxy, as if from when the Bauhaus was first introduced a hundred years before. A few meters in front of the café's Palladian double doors was an escalator directly connected to the second floor, apparently a place for more shops.

Two bells chimed as she crossed the entrance, her breath hitching as her eyes took in the graceful interior. The floor was simply plain, taupe granite tiles settled neatly in rows and columns. Atop them, steel tables were spaced evenly along with pairs of faded gold and silver painted Windsor chairs. The walls were halved by a shadowed chair rail moulding, the top littered with various artworks. The best part was the cashier counter; it was embellished with two rows of black and white diagonal harlequin tiles.

Finally, her gaze swept across the only costumer here: a woman with dark hair carefully tied back in a low ponytail, bright eyes hidden by thinly framed glasses and petite figure overwhelmed by a too-large shirt. She was seated at a table near the counter, her eyes widening as the bell rang when Mai entered.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we're still closed today," the woman said, a kind smile lifting the corners of her lips. "But tomorrow will be the grand opening, so don't forget to stop by again," she added.

Mai was wrong—_again_. The lone costumer was not a costumer after all. By then, the girl had already traversed to the counter. A blush tainted her cheeks, dejection consuming her when she realized that she wouldn't be able to rest her legs any time soon. "I-is that so? I'm very sorry for intruding," she apologized, bowing slightly. "I didn't notice."

"It's alright," the woman assured. "I suppose it's my fault anyway. I'm sure I locked that door just a minute ago…"

"No, no. It isn't your fault," Mai said, her mouth curving into a polite grin as she shifted from one throbbing foot to another. "Then, I should be going now. I'll be sure to come tomorrow!"

She turned back and began to head for the entrance, however she was stopped by the woman when she said, "Wait, you don't have to go. It isn't much, but can you be my first costumer?"

"…Are you sure?" Mai asked as she faced her again, trying to suppress an uncontrollable need to let out a relieved sigh. "But will that be fine with the owner?"

"Yes, the owner is sure. She's standing right in front of you," she chuckled. "No need to come to the counter. Please sit anywhere you like."

"T-thank you," the girl stuttered, amazed yet again. The woman in front of her must not be a day older than twenty-five! Managing a business wasn't something Mai thought of lightly. She herself struggled with keeping track of her own accounts; she couldn't even imagine what kind of mess handling a cafe would be. Absently juggling these thoughts, she scanned the room once more and decided to sit at the table next to the one the owner previously occupied.

"What would you like to have?" she asked as she prepared the needed utensils. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Iced tea, please," Mai said, the relieved sigh breaking out as she finally sat down. She glanced at the meticulously handwritten menu at the black board behind the counter, almost squealing when she spied her favorite. "Blueberry Ginger."

"A wonderful choice," she remarked, hint of sadness betraying her cheer, but Mai was not able to take notice. "I'm sorry to say snacks aren't available at the moment. I don't know how to cook, you see, and my supplier is scheduled to deliver them tomorrow..."

"It's fine, really. To be honest, I only wanted to rest my feet for a little while," Mai abashedly confessed.

"Ah, are you enjoying Marine Day festivities?" Her question was muffled by the purring of a blender.

"Yeah... sort of..."

"Sort of?"

"Yes, well... It's summer after all and instead of wasting my time doing nothing, I'll work and earn extra money instead," Mai laughed nervously, twiddling her toes and continually tapping her feet every two seconds.

"That is a very smart decision," the woman said, an amused tone coating every syllable. "Time waits for no one, and I agree with you about not wasting it."

The young manager came out from behind the counter with a tray in hand, the aesthetic slender glass of sparkling tea on top never teetering.

"Although," she continued, her tone a pitch lower. "Maybe you already are."

"…Are what?" Mai asked, her insides plummeting and skyrocketing thrice in a single second. The woman's words suddenly made her nervous, but she couldn't understand why.

"Wasting time."

With a form of a cylindrical shape, her drink landed in front of her, the echoing thump of glass to metal ringing through the air. With it, ice cubes full of frozen blueberries collided with each other, producing a distinct clatter that disturbingly sounded like percussions to Mai.

To the girl, an eternity had passed in that moment, but the reality was not so kind. Four seconds. It took only four seconds for that woman to stare into the depths of her soul, rip it out of her self, tear it shred to shred and innocently offer it back as if nothing ever happened. Four seconds. And one key word.

'Waste.'

_As if nothing ever happened_, the woman tut-tutted, her eyes broadening half embarrassedly, half amusedly. "Where are my manners? My name is Azami Tsukino. It is a pleasure to meet you..." Azami held out her hand.

Her teeth clamped onto her lip as her brain ran two miles north. For a split second, she debated between bolting out of there or staying put. The latter was much less appealing to her. The woman had read her so easily. She was terrified of could be unveiled further… But finally, after two and a half moments of staring at the outreached hand as if it was an apple and she was a monkey, she said, "Mai Taniyama."

"Mai. What a beautiful name." They shook hands, one firm and the other feeble.

"Thank you, Tsukino-san."

"Please, call me Azami."

"...Azami-san."

The older between the two laughed, sounding genuine to the younger's ears. "I guess that's fine. So, where do you work?"

"I, um," Mai mumbled, looking down to the hands folded on her lap. "Notpartucularlyanywhereyet."

The girl's deep gaze deepened into bone, her head bowing even further without meaning to. Azami fixed two black orbs to her and deliberated about a sudden prospect.

"Do you have a resume?"

"Oh... Oh! Wait a moment, please." She excitedly rummaged through her bag, trying not to bounce too noticeably. Sure she was scared of this probable boss, but a job was a job, and money was money. "Here."

_Please please please please,_ Mai thought as Azami skimmed the document.

"Have you ever manned a cash regi—never mind. I'm sure you're a fast learner anyway. This is a cafe, so you will have to learn how to create the drinks on our menu. I already have two baristas, but an extra hand wouldn't hurt. You do know how to measure liquids and push buttons, right?"

Mai nodded.

"Good. I thought as much. Do you know how to bake?"

Azami was answered with a fervently shook head.

"Me neither. The both of us will never need to worry about that though. I have a trustworthy supplier."

Two bells tinkled twice.

"Speak of the devil."

-:-:-:-:-

A/N: Dun dun dun. Cliffy. I cut it there because it'll get tooooo long if I continued on. I mean yeah, it isn't really _long_, but for the sake of keeping a pattern, I shall keep the chapters under four pages. Btw, what do you think about the new boss? Boring? Intriguing?

Where are the two guys, you ask?

.

.

.

In my heart~

P.S. Do you know where the cafe is? ;) ;) ;) If not, I'm gonna cry.


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